It was nothing short of true grit and determination that led Goh Liu Ying and her partner Chan Peng Soon to bag silver in the Olympics mixed doubles final in Rio last night.In 2014, Liu Ying underwent an operation on both her knees due to ligament damage and cartilage deterioration, and this followed 11 months of painful rehabilitation.Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin revealed this in a Twitter posting, which has since been retweeted by more than 10,000 users."After she recovered, she rejoined Peng Soon in partnership. Olympic qualification started in May 2015. They were ranked 79th in the world."They worked hard, they practised their hearts out. Liu Ying practised on strengthening her legs. Peng Soon worked on staying focused. They climbed the rankings and qualified for Rio," he said.

The minister noted that while many did not expect them to go beyond the quarterfinal, the pair made it, and even defeated the sixth-ranked Chinese pair in the semi-final."And here they are, silver medalists. Number 79 a year ago. Podium today," he added.The pair was also congratulated by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who tweeted: “You have done your best.”“Succeeding to reach the final and winning the silver medal is a good achievement! Congratulations! #Rio2016,” he added.In a Facebook post, Peng Soon said he never dreamt of winning a medal, adding that the pair had tried their best in the final."Thanks for your support. We will never give up. It is because of your support that we are here today," he said.Liu Ying and Peng Soon were defeated by top-ranked Indonesian pair Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir 21-14 and 21-12.